Chapter 11

When Catherine and Henry returned to their camp site, dusk was already setting in. The sun that was slowly sinking towards the western hemisphere, dipped the peaks of the mountains into a luscious orange light and painted the small magellanic clouds in golden-redish colours. Fascinated by this natural spectacle, Catherine slowed down her pace until she came to a standstill, devoutly staring into the distance. Henry also stopped in awe.
His attention however was not focused on the colourful sunset, but on the woman who's hand he was still holding.

He'd rarely seen Catherine dressed down the way she was just now. Not overhung with precious jewelry she tented to wear as a symbol of her status and to underline the wealth of the family she was born into. And without the crown he had given her. A crown she had learned to wear full of pride with her head held high.
Without these things to hide behind, she was looking much more approachable and so much softer. He would even dare to say that she looked vulnerable in a wonderful and unusual kind of way.

And the emerald green dress, that lacked the usual luxuriance of her wardrobe, granted Catherine a naturalness that captivated Henry.
And her hair! Out here she wore her hair in a wilder, untended kind of style, unlike at court where it was always primped to perfection. Now it was merely held together by a small ribbon and it wasn't the first time that Henry caught himself staring at it, wishing to reach out and bury his fingers into the soft strands.

Then there were the countless freckles that had conquered her face and décolleté. He knew that with her fair skin Catherine tended to get freckles in the summer months but normally she used to hide them under a thick layer of makeup. But here, out in the fresh air and under the warm sun of June, these adorable little caprices of nature had happily spread all over her skin and Henry loved each and every one of them.

"Isn't it just breathtaking?" Catherine asked him quietly. Henry nodded, absorbed in his private admiration.
"Gorgeous," he thought aloud. But unlike his wife, it wasn't the sunset that had awe-strucked him, but the small force of human nature standing right next to him.

Enchanted by his wife's beauty and the phantasmagoric scenery, Henry spontaneously stepped behind Catherine and wrapped his arms around her petite form. Then he buried his nose into her hair and absorbed her familiar odour. Surprised by his action, Catherine stiffened at first but Henry simply kept on holding her. He merely started stroking her middle in a soothing gesture, hoping that if he just gave her enough time to get used to his closeness, she would relax her body and lean into his embrace.

And indeed, a little later he felt how her tense muscles started to relax. In the end one careful pull was enough to minimize the remaining distance between them and for her to press her back firmly against his chest.
"I have completely forgotten how beautiful this can be – being outside, away from... well, you know..." Catherine whispered after what felt like half an eternity where the two of them had silently watched the sun sink between two mountains. Now darkness had finally buried the last relics of daylight under its heavy cloak.
Above them was an endless sea of stars.

"I remember feeling the exact same way after I've decided to join my troops. The first few nights out here opened my eyes. Life is good, Catherine. Life away from court and all those obligations coming along with being a King. Here you are allowed to catch a glimpse of a completely different world. A world that made me question my priorities."
"And did you come to a decision?" Catherine asked him quietly.
"As a matter of fact, I did." Henry replied and brushed her hair aside to place a tender kiss at the nape of her neck. "I've come to appreciate nature again and that a night out here is more valuable than the most spectacular ball."

There were still so many revelations that threatened to burst out of his mouth, but Henry wasn't able to put them into a reasonable order.
"What about England?" Catherine beat him to it.
"Forget about England!" With a wave of his hand Henry brushed away her question. "France is what is important. England was nothing but a missent obsession, a fantasy the prevailing madness at court had planted into my head. You, Catherine are important. You and our children, who probably don't even remember what their parents look like by now."

His words prompted Catherine to free herself from his grip and turn around to face him.
"And Francis? He is the true heir. France's future king and OUR son, Henry! But you have simply repaced him with your bastard and you..." Before his wife could continue talking herself into a rage, Henry gently placed his index finger over her lips.
"Who do you think is ruling France right now?" He asked and in a feathery touch he ran his finger over Catherine's cheekbone.
Even though he could only see the contour of her body in the darkness, he knew her well enough to suspect that she had probably raised an eyebrow by now while staring at him questioningly.
"Francis. Together with his wife," Henry answered his own question since she chose to remain silent.
"His wife?" Catherine's voice was two octaves highter than unusual.

"Mary. You remember her, the Queen of Scots, the girl our son was engaged to since he was a little boy?" Henry knew damn well that teasing a woman like Catherine de Medici wasn't necessarily the best idea, but at the moment he just couldn't resist doing it nonetheless. His teasing promptly earned him an unexpected hard blow against his upper arm.
"Don't you dare fooling me," she scolded him and, contrary to his expectations, he couldn't hear a hint of bitter reproach in her voice as so often, but a suppressed laughter.

"I would never dare. Forgive me, Chérie." Without further reflection, Henry bent down and placed an affectionate kiss on Catherine's lips.
"Don't try to distract me, Henry," she admonished him and gently freed herself to take a step back.
"This isn't some lame diversionary tactic. Actually, it's the only thing I can think of right now," Henry defended his desire to kiss her.
"You have to think about Mary all the time?" Catherine couldn't hide her amazement.
"Nonsense. I'm thinking about kissing you. And where I want to kiss you. I have some very vivid..."
"HENRY!" Catherine reached for his hand and pressed his fingers. Hard. "What were you saying about Francis and Mary?"
"Oh yes. They got married. About four weeks after your flight."

"Oh my God! But the prophecy! Henry, Mary will cause our son's..." Henry interrupted his wife once again by taking her hand.
"Catherine! Please, are you actually telling me that a silly prophecy should determine the fate of the future King of France? Our actions determine our future, WE determine our future. And Francis and Mary have chosen each other. They are happy, Catherine."
"How could the two of you let this happen? Mary believed me. She believed in the prophecy," Catherine snorted and Henry wondered if she had overheard his last words or if she just deliberately ignored them.
"Things have changed. So did your damn prophecy," he explained, hoping that this information would calm her down.

"The prophecy has changed?" Catherine's voice resonated with the renowned authority she usually used while addressing her seer or her servants. Considering her upset constitution, Henry generously condoned her tone.
"That's all you care about? This damned prophecy? How about our son marrying the girl he loves? They are happy."
"Nothing is more important than my children's happiness! But for them to be happy, they have to be alive, Henry. So how did the prophecy change? What did Nostradamus see? I need to know the exact wording."
"Oh for heaven's sake, how should I know the exact wording? He just said that the things he saw have changed. Something about two queens and that the decision of one of them changed everyone elses fate."
He loathed repeating her quack's words, but he knew that she wouldn't leave this topic alone until she had dragged everything out of him she thought was relevant.

"Those were his words? What else did he say?"
"Oh hell, he also mentioned a snake whose poison paralyzes a queen, saves a king and thus reunites France and Italy. Which is complete nonsense, since the war between France and Italy has been over for almost a year." Henry didn't bother hiding his aversion to the supposed visionary power of his wife's seer.
"But what about Francis?"
"Nothing is wrong with Francis. He is alright. Whatever vision Nostradamus saw before, it won't happen."
"That's what he has said? That Francis will be alright?" The relief that was clearly audible in Catherine's words swashed over to him like a wave and although he considered the hocus-pocus her seer normally did as ridiculous, his wife's relief about this new development touched his heart nevertheless.

Without further ado Henry pulled Catherine into his arms and held her tightly.
"He is fine, darling. He's just fine," he muttered again and again while her shoulders began to tremble slightly and he felt her heart beating wildly against his own.
"Everything will be fine." Henry promised and at this very moment he believed in his words for he wanted them to be true.

After some time, Henry didn't know how long they had been standing like this, he slowly bent down and kissed Catherine's forehead, then he raised his hand to stroke her cheek.
"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry now," he said quietly and exhaled with relief when he felt her nod against his chest. "Then come on."

Like before, Henry reached for her hand, not willing to give up the reclaimed physical connection between them. And Catherine's lack of resistance encouraged him. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of his stubborn wife's willingness to cooperate. She usually kept him at arm's lenght and they hadn't exchanged tendernesses of any kind for ages.

But Catherine's flight and as a result her injury had shaken the deadlocked habits that had determined their marriage for the last two decades to the core. His indifference had given way to care and the growing attraction between them would sooner or later lead to a reconciliation between the sheets.
At least that's what he hoped for.

Back at their tent, Henry ordered one of the varlets to go and get them their food from the fireplace. Then he pushed the tarpaulin aside to let his wife enter first.
Florence, sitting on the ground and stirring a brownish, bitter-smelling broth, wiped her hands off in embarrassment and rose to greet the royal couple. With her right hand Catherine stroked the girl's shoulder in an affectionate gesture and peered into the malodorous basin.
"You returned at the right time, your herbal pack is just about ready. It will give you some relief," the girl hurried to explained with a cheerful voice and an open smile on her oval face.
"You're a godsend," Catherine replied warmly.

At that moment the young varlet returned, carrying two steaming bowls. The sight and the delicious smell of the stew made their mouths water simultaneously. Only now did the two of them realize how hungry they were. In Catherine's case even hungrier than she had ever felt since leaving French court.
"I think this can wait till after supper," Henry informed Florence and gently guided his wife over to the narrow cot. She sat down willingly and accepted the bowl the soldier handed her. With a sigh Henry dropped down beside her.
Lost in consensual silence, the couple had their dinner.

When they've finished, Florence started taking care of her mistresses injury. Therefore Catherine had to take off her dress since the sleeve wouldn't go up enough to treat her arm properly. Henry briefly considered giving his wife some privacy by leaving the tent, but then he reconsidered.
If he had his way, they would soon be doing much more intimate things than just watching each other undress. And the sooner she began to feel comfortable in his presence, the sooner she would be ready to give herself to him.

The novice didn't dare expelling the King of France from his own tent and although Catherine gave him a fathomless glare over her shoulder, she tolerated his presence while Florence carefully helped her undress. A simple, sleeveless undergarment came to light once the nun had freed her from her dress that accentuated the daintiness of her slim body.
Without resistance Catherine let herself be led back to the cot, where she took a seat in front of the kneeling novice. Then the girl reached for her arm and began to carefully apply the herbal paste onto the scar tissue.

Henry slowly stepped behind his wife and laid his hands on her shoulders. She involuntarily stiffened under his touch. But he refused to become discouraged by Catherine's reaction and with gentle pressure he started massaging her tense muscles. And like this afternoon when they had shared his horse, her body finally gave up its defensive posture and Henry could feel her loosen up under his hands.

Then the girl carefully bandaged Catherine's arm and rose from her kneeling position once she'd finished. Catherine reached for her with her good arm.
"Thank you, Florence. If you don't mind, I also want you to take a look at Henry's wound. It seems infected."
"What?" Henry asked in irritation, since he hadn't expected this turn of events.
The girl nodded in agreement and indecisively looked between her mistress and her husband.
"Your shirt, Henry," Catherine demanded with unfaltering authority in her voice.

Henry regarded his wife with a smug smile.
"So you want me to get undressed?" he asked and couldn't resist the urge to tease her. Catherine slowly rose and turned to him. Disapproval was written all over her pretty face, causing Henry to grin even wider and to conspiratorially wiggle his eyebrows. His reaction prompted Catherine to roll her eyes and the nun to blush with embarrassment.
"I want you to get treated. But if you prefer a sepsis... fine, don't let me stop you." Catherine snorted in her very own, slightly arrogant way and Henry couldn't help but find her more attractive than ever as her royal composure didn't accord with her scantily clad and very natural appearance.
Added to this her concern for his well-being moved him.

"My lovely wife, your concern touches me." Even if his voice bared a hint of scorn, he spoke the truth none the less.
"Fine, if this is of such importance for you..." The shirt he was already pulling over his head swallowed parts of his words.
Henry carelessly dropped the garment, stepped around the cot and planted himself in front of the novice, an impatient expression on his face. His gaze, however, was still fixed on his wife.
"You're right, it's infected," Florence agreed with Catherine after examining the wound. "But do not worry, your majesty, this is nothing we can't fix."

The girl let her eyes wander through the tent and discovered the tincture she had given him in the morning. It appeared to be unused. Both women acknowledged his negligence with a sigh.
"Sit down," his wife instructed him, since Henry made no effort to make it easier for the girl. When he didn't react promptly, Catherine forcefully pressed him down.

Surrendering to his fate, Henry endured Florence's treatment stoically. But it wasn't the novice or her work that captured his full attention but his wife or rather her breasts, that were currently at his eye level since Catherine was standing and he was sitting. Gentle candlelight illuminated the outline of her body under the thin fabric of her nightgown. Henry had to raise all his self-control in order to resist the urge to run his fingers all over her breasts until her tender nipples hardened under his touch.

Only a strong burning sensation that inflamed his chest while Florence applied the tincture onto his wound pulled Henry out of his libidinal thoughts and prevented his body from overly reacting to the optical stimuli his wife sparked.
"You should try to take it easy for the next few days," Florence advised him after she had bandaged him up to protect the wound from contaminant.

Henry only gave off a throaty growl and rose again. It wasn't until he noticed his wife's assertive gaze that prompted him to thank the girl for her services.
"Thank you. That would be all for today. You may leave now." With these words he dismissed her.

"No, you're not, Florence, you will stay here", his wife objected and turned to him only to whisper in a quieter voice: "You can't seriously send her out there to all your soldiers. She is a nun, almost still a child and besides me the only woman in this camp."
"Catherine," Henry growled, loathing the idea of anyone underminining his authority. But to his surprise his wife put her hand on the uninjured side of his chest and looked him deeply into his eyes.
"She saved my life and now we are responsible for her. I will not allow..." Henry interrupted Catherine by kissing her all of a sudden. When his lips released hers again, she was only able to stare at him bewildered.
"If it makes you feel better, she can stay," he finally agreed but at the same moment Henry decided to not only ask for an appropriate wardrobe for his wife once they've reached Lord Bernardes estate, but also for a small tent to accommodate the girl. For he had no intention of sharing quarters with a nun for the rest of their trip.

"Florence, you can sleep over there," Catherine explained with a tentative smile and went over to the water bowl to wash her face and clean her teeth with the scarce means at her disposal. At the other end of the tent, Henry took his boot off and stepped up to her to ready himself for bed.

Once finished he put an arm around his wife's waist to escort her back to their shared cot. He signaled her to sit down and wait for him while he extinguished the candles. After some consideration, the King lay down the same way he had last night and pulled his wife into his arms. This time she did not resist. He even thought he felt her snuggling up on him. Smiling, Henry spread the fur over their bodies and placed a tender good-night kiss on her lips.

"Henry," Catherine warned him a few minutes later when his hands slid down her back towards her behind, where he started to knead her flesh with gentle pressure.
"We're not alone," she reminded him quietly. Her words made him pause for a second. He was not surprised that Catherine had stopped him. What surprised him, however, was the fact that she still seemed relaxed and he wondered if the presence of the nun was actually the only reason for her to stop him.
"Then you'd better be quiet, my dear," he whispered conspiratorially and continued with his caresses to test her limits.

"Ouch, damn it," Henry growled a second later when two fingers of her healthy hand closed around his nipple like a vice and pulled at it all of a sudden.
"I have warned you," Catherine whispered and the pressure around his nipple only eased when his fingers stopped stroking her bottom.

Henry's hands remained motionless on her backside, just like her hand remained on his chest. The both of them just lurked in anticipation, waiting to see how the other would act now.
The King of France briefly considered letting go of his wife, but then he realise that contrary to his caresses, she tolerated his mere touch, so Henry decided to leave his hands where they were. Motionless.
Catherine didn't change her position either and all of a sudden he felt her fingers stroke his naked skin briefly as if to test its texture.
"Good night, husband," she mumbled sleepily and her breath tickled the sensitive skin of his neck.
"Good night, Catherine," he replied and in response to her touch, Henry stroked her derrière with the tip of his fingers in a similarly brief and feathery touch.

To his surprise she didn't push his hand away nor tried to free herself. He rather heard a suppressed laugh. Then she pressed her body even more firmly against his own to find the most comfortable position.
Henry just lay there motionless and enjoyed the closeness she was willing to grant him. And while he lay there quietly, Catherine's breathing gradually slowed down and Henry felt her gliding into Morpheus' arms.

He, on the other hand, lay awake for a long time that night.

My dear readers. Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging reviews. They mean the world to me.

I hope you enjoy this new chapter.